Full breakdown of new civil servant salaries, house allowances under SRC review

Thousands of civil servants are set to take home higher pay after the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) approved a new salary structure and revised allowances under the Fourth Remuneration Review Cycle for the 2026/27 financial year.

The new pay structure, which takes effect from July 1, 2026, applies to national government civil servants and will be implemented during the 2026/27 financial year.

Besides increasing basic salaries across several job grades, the review also updates house, commuter and other allowances, with the amount employees receive depending on their job grade and duty station.

The changes were communicated in an official SRC circular dated July 17, 2026.

The revised structure raises salaries across both senior and junior job grades.

At the top of the scale, officers in Grade E4 will earn a basic monthly salary ranging between Sh312,000 and Sh576,000. Those stationed in Nairobi will also qualify for a house allowance of up to Sh100,000 per month.

Employees in Grade E3 will earn a basic salary of up to Sh400,000, reflecting the government's effort to improve compensation for senior public servants.

For officers in the middle-level job groups, Grades C1 to C5 will receive basic salaries ranging between Sh38,000 and Sh105,000, depending on their specific grade and years of service.

Meanwhile, the lowest-paid civil servants in Grade A3 will earn a basic salary of between Sh20,600 and Sh23,700. They will also receive a house allowance of up to Sh3,000, depending on where they are posted.

The SRC has maintained a three-cluster system for house allowances, meaning employees working in different parts of the country will receive varying amounts.

Nairobi remains in a category of its own because of its higher cost of living. Civil servants stationed in the capital qualify for the highest house allowances under the new structure.

The second cluster includes:

• Mombasa

• Kisumu

• Nakuru

• Nyeri

• Eldoret

• Thika

• Kisii

• Malindi

• Kitale

Employees working in these towns will receive house allowances that are higher than those in most other parts of the country but lower than those paid in Nairobi.

All other towns and stations across the country fall under Cluster Three and will receive the standard house allowance applicable to their respective job grades.

Besides the basic salary review, the commission has also revised other benefits that form part of a civil servant's monthly earnings.

These include:

• House allowance

• Commuter allowance

• Other applicable allowances based on an employee's job group

The revised benefits took effect from July 1, 2026, with payments expected to be processed during the 2026/27 financial year.

The SRC has directed that the revised salary structure for unionisable employees will be implemented through the relevant Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).

The commission also instructed government agencies that have not yet migrated to the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) to complete the process to support implementation of the new pay structure.

Speaking during the Eldama Ravine Half Marathon in Baringo County, the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service reaffirmed the government's commitment to improving the welfare of civil servants.

The CS said the revised salaries, housing allowances, commuter allowances and other benefits are intended to enhance employees' earnings and support public servants across the country.